1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer implemented objects, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for the storage and use of objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of computer application programs to create files, documents, drawings, etc. is well known in the art. Commonly, the electronic files, documents, drawings, etc. consist of a collection of objects. For example, a drawing may consist of a collection of various objects such as a circle object, a line object, a cloud object, etc. FIG. 1 illustrates the storage and use of such objects. Application program 100 creates files 102. Files 102 consist of one or more objects. The files 102 are stored with their associated objects and all of the object data. Thus, all of the data and information for the objects is available with file 102 for application 100 to read, view, or process.
In some applications, catalogs of objects may be available to users. For example, a catalog of various types of windows or doors may be available for the user to select and utilize in a drawing application. When a user elects to utilize a particular object from a catalog, a copy of the object may be graphically displayed when the file 102 containing the object is displayed. Further, the copy of the object is stored with file 102. Thus, any manipulations of the object performed by the user are maintained and stored with the file 102.
Often, third parties (such as manufacturers) want to provide the ability for users to graphically represent a product in an application such as a drawing program. For example, a toilet manufacturer may want a user to have the ability to display and select one of their toilets (in the form of a toilet object) in a computer aided design (CAD) application. Further, it is desirable for the third party to have the ability to update the object. Without this ability, if a third party discontinues the sale of the physical product (and possibly replaces the discontinued product with a new similar product), the user with the original product must update the catalog and manipulate the drawing to replace the old object in the drawing with the new object.
Further, some corporations and companies may desire to restrict use of electronic files or drawings to internal use. For example, if a confidential or trade secret product is electronically represented as an object, the company may not want the document containing the object to be distributed, viewable, etc. externally. However, since a copy of an object is saved with a file 102, once the document is saved and distributed externally, the document (and its accompanying objects) may be viewed by anyone that obtains a copy of the document.
There is a need in the art to enable a user or developer to utilize an object in files, documents, drawings, etc. while maintaining the ability to easily change the object and maintain data/file security.